1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to educational materials. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a novel teaching accessory that will educate and assist a child in learning more about proper dental hygiene.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Teaching aids, including board games and educational toys have been the subject of patent protection for many years. In the field of dentistry however, very few educational and entertaining devices have been patented. One example of a board game, however, can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,145 issued Apr. 22, 1980 to G. F. Gouraige, Jr. This patent discloses a dental board game apparatus which can be used as an aid in learning the anatomy of the mouth and the names and positions of the various teeth of the mouth. The game includes a game board, playing pieces which represent the teeth of one quadrant of the mouth, and a die. The purpose of this board game is to provide an apparatus which is both entertaining as well as educational, allowing players to become readily acquainted with dental terminology. However, this game may be too complicated for young children to play or understand. In addition, during a child's formative years, between the ages of four and nine years old, the child should be exposed to good oral hygiene techniques as well as educated about the various parts of the mouth. The present invention overcomes this limitation by providing a device which provides both visual and hands-on learning experience as well as encourages activities which can be shared by the whole family.
Other patents dealing with dentistry, and more particularly with the mythological tooth fairy can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,209 issued May 14, 1991 to T. Ortiz. Ortiz discloses a child-playing toy with a basic structure of a molar having two butterfly-like wings at its side. The top of the molar represents the head and face of a doll while the two roots of the tooth are its legs. The doll has two arms, one of which carries a wand, and behind the wings there exists a sack or pouch wherein a tooth in which a child has lost may be placed. The article is intended to enable parents to easily retrieve the child's fallen tooth without disturbing the child by having to reach under his or her pillow. The Ortiz invention enables a parent, in the presence of the child, to place a lost tooth in the sack or pouch which is attached to the doll. Cuddling the doll, the child falls asleep. While the child is sleeping, the parent may, on the tooth fairy's behalf, more easily reclaim the tooth from the pouch in exchange for a gift. While the Ortiz patent does provide the parent and child with an entertaining device for exchanging money for a lost tooth, it does not provide any educational value to the child concerning proper oral hygiene or the anatomy of the mouth.
A teaching aid can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,852 issued Dec. 27, 1983 to E. A. Mathias. This device has an elongated backing including an open slot terminating into a central opening. One end of the aid has a picture of a face imprinted thereon and indicia is printed on the elongated backing. The process for teaching comprises pivoting the teaching aid around a doorknob shaft into a generally horizontal position such that a child can readily read all of the indicia. Arranged educational indicia is printed in a visual presentation form for rapid and comprehensive understanding. Part of the indicia is printed such that it can be read fairly easily when the teaching aid is hung in a generally vertical upright position on the doorknob-shaft combination. While this device is a novel teaching aid, it does not provide the parent or child with a way to interact together while the child learns.
Other prior art patents disclose certain aspects of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,341 issued Dec. 15, 1969 to G. F. Kirkpatrick discloses a drawstring bag with an open mouth defined by tubular channels extending along transverse top edges of front and back walls of the bag. One of the channels has an opening at a first longitudinal edge of the bag and the other channel has an opening at a second longitudinal edge, opposite the first longitudinal edge. A string extends through each channel. One end of each string is attached to the longitudinal edge and the other end of each string protrudes transversely through the respective opening opposite the longitudinal edge. Each string may be pulled in an opposite direction whereby the channels are gathered tightly and regularly and the free ends of the strings are easily tied to each other.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,169 issued Apr. 7, 1992 to M. E. Mayfield discusses a chart utilizing tactile and visual medication symbols and marking elements. The medication marking elements are removably attachable to a chart. These elements may be erasable marks made by a marking pen or pencil. The invention is designed to provide the user with an easy to understand chart for taking multiple medications at varying times.
Another device provides an apparatus and method for documenting the findings of a physical examination. This apparatus can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,531 issued Sep. 26, 1989 to M. K. Rees. The Rees patent includes a group of pre-printed stickers each having an anatomical designation in either a graphic or text form, on their front surface and an adhesive backed peel-off sheet on their rear surface. The physician or patient can mark directly on the sticker to indicate the location, size and shape of any abnormality on the patient. The sticker may then be removed and attached directly to the patient's progress report.
Although the aforementioned patents teach of devices such as board games, dolls and teaching aids as well as devices such as pull string bags and devices carrying removable stickers, none of the above patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.